Beginner’s Guide To IDP Settings

Read up on how to make your IDP league the best it can be. These settings are ideal for keeping the players’ value more balanced and keep the league fun and competitive!

Before we dive in, imagine watching a football game. However, this football game is different than what you are used to. Why? Well, each team has an offense, but there is no such thing as a defense. The offense just scores at will and the game is pointless and boring.

I know! I know! You are now questioning if I should be put in a mental hospital, or if I am just plain dumb. Who does this so-called fantasy football analyst think he is? I have breaking news for you. This is how most of the fantasy football community thinks. The focus is solely on offense and most everyone ignores the defensive side of the ball. I am here to help change that mentality by breaking down my favorite IDP settings.

If you are not playing in IDP leagues, well, I just feel sorry for you! That is right. I said it. I feel sorry for you. If you are a fan of the NFL you should know that two sides of the ball exist. This should be the case in fantasy football as well. I have been playing fantasy football for 13 years. I now have a passion for IDP leagues.

However, this has not always been the case. I have played in many IDP leagues where the scoring almost makes the defensive players obsolete. Their value becomes so low, kickers have a higher priority. No one will enjoy these types of leagues. Thus, why I think many fantasy football fans shy away from IDP and stick to only offensive players. We are here to help break that mold!

Balance – Balance – Balance

IDP leagues need to be balanced- even more balanced than standard leagues. What do I mean by balanced? One position should not be worth extremely more than another. Linebackers should not score an average of 10 points per game while your defensive lineman only average three points.

Furthermore, it is important to make sure the offense and defense are balanced too. If your offense is averaging 15 points per game but your defensive players are only averaging eight points per game, you have a problem.

Now, the One Million Dollar Question…How do you set up the league to make sure this disparity does not happen?

Go ahead and set up your offensive settings the way you like. Personally, I am a fan of full point PPR for wide receivers, half point for running backs and 1.5 points for tight ends. I also prefer super-flex leagues if you have 16 teams or less. Passing touchdowns should only be worth 4 points and I also give running backs 0.25 points per rush.

You can set your offensive settings up however you want, just remember to make sure your defensive scoring is somewhat balanced!

To do this (easiest on sites like MFL), play around with the settings before you finalize them. On MFL, you can go to the “player stats” tab and it will show you what the scoring would have looked like for the previous season. Here is an example of one of the IDP leagues I am in.

As you can see, there were six defensive players in the top 20. This league has decent scoring settings for IDP. Although, as most leagues, the scoring still slightly favors the linebacker position. As co-commissioner, I might suggest tweaking the settings for 2019. I recently went through the top 100 players based on last season and here is how this league shakes out.

In my opinion, the linebackers are too top heavy. Had I looked into this earlier, I would have made changes before we did our startup auction draft. Instead, I will look to change things in 2019. To make this league even better, there should only be 15-18 linebackers in the top 100. There should be 8-10 defensive ends and definitely more than one corner.

Are you bored yet? Thinking about closing this article? Do not do so!! I am going to get into the nitty-gritty of the settings that should help balance the league even more than my 50 Shades of IDP League. But, before you keep reading, make sure to check out our podcast by clicking here. Subscribe, download and leave a review!

My Recommended IDP Settings

Here we go! If you only get two things from this article, this would be the second. First, is remembering to make your settings balanced. Second, is looking over these recommended settings and using them or adjusting them to balance out your IDP leagues. Remember, these setting will fluctuate some based on how you set up your offensive scoring. If you follow my suggested offensive setup I laid out earlier, here is how your IDP settings should look.

Tackles

Linebackers – 1.75 points

Defensive Ends – 3 points

Defensive Tackles – 3.5 points

Safeties – 2 points

Corners – 2 points

*Note, you can adjust these lower if your offensive output is lower. For example, if Antonio Brown is averaging 17 fantasy points per game, you want guys like Bobby Wagner averaging 17 points per game. However, if Brown is averaging 12 fantasy points per game, you need to adjust the defensive scoring so Wagner only averages 12 fantasy points per game too.

Assists

Linebackers – 1 point

Defensive Ends – 1.5 points

Defensive Tackles – 1.5 points

Safeties – 1 point

Corners – 1 point

Tackles for Loss

Linebackers – 2.5 points

Defensive Ends – 3 points

Defensive Tackles – 3.5 points

Safeties – 2.5 points

Corners – 2.5 points

Sacks

Linebackers – 4 points

Defensive Ends – 4.5 points

Defensive Tackles 4.5 points

Safeties – 4.5 points

Corners – 4.5 points

QB Hits

0.50 points w/ 1.0 bonus for every 2 for ALL positions

Passes Defended

Linebackers – 3 points w/ .50 bonus for every 2

Defensive Ends – 3 points w/ .50 bonus for every 2

Defensive Tackles – 3 points w/ .50 bonus for every 2

Safeties – 3 points

Corners – 3 points w/ .75 bonus for every 2

Fumble Recoveries

5 points for ALL positions

Forced Fumbles

3 points for ALL positions

Interceptions

5 points for ALL positions

Blocked Field Goals

5 points for ALL positions

Blocked Punts

5 points for ALL positions

Safeties

10 points for ALL positions

Defensive Conversion Returns

2 points for ALL positions

Defensive or Special Teams TD

6 points for ALL positions

Return Yards

1 point for every 25 yards for ALL positions

That should cover it all. If I missed something or you prefer a different scoring setting, feel free to reach out on here or Twitter. Remember, these are all preferences. I will say it until I am blue in the face. Most of all, keep your scoring setting balanced among ALL positions on both sides of the ball! This will ensure more equal values and keep the league competitive and fun on offense and defense!

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I like to think that I am a good writer. I also like to think that I am funny. Neither are probably true, but I am here anyway. I do not do this for the money or the fame. I do not do this for the ladies (I am a married man after all). Nope, I do it for the love of the game!